The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder of Bosunsolutions, Nicole Grinnell. Bosunsolutions was created around six years ago and is aiming to supply remote staffing for business owners. Nicole explains some common challenges or mistakes made by business owners are bad hiring or putting too much work on one new hire because that is all a company could afford. If an employee does not fit into every box, it could lead to less productivity and efficiency. Bosunsolutions works to find individuals that fit into each specific box and can do the work effectively and productively. Nicole explains the name Bosun was referred to repeatedly on a television show and they connected to the meaning. Bosun is a position on a ship that supports the captain and the crew. They are connected to this because they help support businesses and support the owners stay in the captain's position to keep their focus on what matters. Nicole explains she has been involved with business her entire life from watching her parents struggle to scale their business to serving as an executive assistant. Bosunsolutions was a way to bring together employers who need help with their business and employees who may not want a full-time job or individuals who work from home. Nicole states that they worked to find a way for businesses to scale through human capital without having fixed employees. During Covid, many fixed employees were let go and now that things are opening back up, more flexible employees are wanted. This is an area where Bosunsolutions fits in very well as they provide the platform for these flexible workers to be hired by businesses. Nicole explains they have had a focus on administration workers this year regarding bookkeeping as well as social media management and placement services. While other platforms are good for project-oriented work, Bosunsolutions is focused on the team aspect between a business and its outsourced workers as well as supporting both sides in the process. Engagement with Bosunsolutions starts with a strategy call to gauge what is needed by the business to create more revenue, then they can add in workers to support the business one by one. Sourcing is done by taking the strategy call as well as other factors into account such as culture, to find the best worker for the business. An onboarding call will then ensue so the business owner can meet their new employee and their relationship manager that supports both sides. Quarterly meetings will be had to determine if the metrics are being hit or if something needs to change. The time span between the strategy call to onboarding is about five to seven days depending on the needs of the business. Key Points from the Episode: What Bosunsolutions does Common challenges encountered by business owners Where the name Bosunsolutions originated How Nicole came into this business Why Bosunsolutions is a relevant solution in 2022 Experts Bosunsolutions sources How working with Bosunsolutions differs from other platforms Engagement with Bosunsolutions About Nicole Grinnell: At a very young age, Nicole gained experience in small business ownership working in her family’s business from the age of 10. She worked in corporate America until the start of her remote fractional staffing company and took it to $1M within 2 years. The mission of Bosun is to give the small business owner a nimble and profitable business in ANY economy. About Bosunsolutions: At Bosun, they want to holistically solve clients’ problems by providing the right remote team members for all back-office roles who can operate their business. New services to clients include implementing and automating technology, such as CRMs, accounting software, project management tools, payroll, etc., and documenting processes around technology and their remote team. Tweetable Moments: 00:39 "What we say a lot is that your revenue should always be tied to labor. Those should not be fixed expenses." 07:57 "We want to provide a team member in a true relationship because your success is our success." 11:05 "I think there's a lot of soft skills and other factors that go into hiring to make that a good match." Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluene.com/podcast-guest Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out the Bosunsolutions website at https://www.bosunsolutions.com/ Check out Bosunsolutions on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/bosunsolutions/ Check out Nicole Grinnell on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-grinnell-b6190515/ Check out Bosunsolutions on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bosunsolutions/ Check out Bosunsolutions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bosunsolutions Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Chairman of Proof Analytics, Mark Stouse. Proof Analytics is a marketing analytics platform that strives to help its clients make better decisions on a consistent efficient basis. In typical analytical formats, a business will see its statistics every quarter, half, and yearly basis. This does not help the business as they will always be looking backward while they are trying to move forwards which clouds the progression. Proof Analytics allows for consistent results to be provided so businesses can see where things need to change to promote growth. Mark explains that many teams are doing multiple variable regression analytics the old-fashioned way which does not promote efficiency for businesses. Proof Analytics changes this by providing the platform of speed for these consistent accurate results so businesses can get the results faster to make the changes faster. Mark explains throughout Covid, video conferencing platforms soared in demand and the platforms were not built for this at the time. Revenues climbed as well as the stress on the technology that provided those services such as struggling bandwidth. Changes are happening at rapid pacing which changes the trajectory of investments and business strategies completely. Mark explains that self-aware automation is far from taking over because humans provide morality, ethics, and awareness of context that automation cannot. Mark explains that analytics gives context to data because without that context data cannot do much to aid a business. Analytics help businesses identify changes to patterns and make the appropriate responses to them so they can contribute to their growth and stability in the market. Key Points from the Episode: What Proof Analytics is How Proof Analytics tackles data differently Changes Mark has noticed throughout Covid Automation The importance of analytics About Mark Stouse: Mark is the CEO of Proof Analytics, a marketing analytics platform that helps CMOs and CFOs bridge the ROI gap by providing cause-and-effect analytics that shows marketing and sales true business impact and financial worth. The company's 'Proof Business GPS' guides through the whole marketing lifecycle, and provides a complete picture of a company's marketing efforts. Their solution enables planning, budgeting, and optimization of marketing in all channels. An award-winning B2B CMO and CCO, Mark is one of the first leaders to connect all types of marketing investment to revenue, margin, and cash flow impact in complex, long-cycle companies. In 2014, he was named Innovator of the Year for his pioneering work by U.S. marketing leaders. Tweetable Moments: 06:04 "You've got to put the crude into a refinery and generate the gas that can power your car. It's the same thing with analytics. Analytics is the refinery, and we have automated very large portion of it." 12:09 "If you believe that tomorrow is going to be just like today, then go for it, right? But that's not happening. That's not the way life is. That's certainly not the way business is." Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out the Proof Analytics website at https://www.proofanalytics.ai/ Check out Proof Analytics on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/proofanalytics/ Check out Mark Stouse on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstouse/ Check out the Accelerating Value podcast at https://acceleratingvalue.sounder.fm/ Check out Mark Stouse on Twitter at https://mobile.twitter.com/markstouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Founder of goLance, Michael Brooks. GoLance is a freelance marketplace that focuses on lowering its costs compared to competitors while increasing the number of features on its platform. Michael explains some competitors like to keep their interactions between provider and consumer on a texting basis and things like sharing phone numbers could result in the termination of the provider. This is a negative quality as it is easy for things to get lost in translation through texting and having a quick call can clear those issues up almost immediately. GoLance is solving this issue for the common freelancer so they do not feel taken advantage of and can provide the appropriate services to the consumer in an easier way. Michael explains that they plug in Slack, Zoom, and Google Meets platforms so the freelancers can have better connections with their clients which can lead to more valuable services being provided and ending with happy clients. The way goLance operates starts with the consumer posting a job and the freelancers will apply. They will take that job opening and encourage people within that specific sector to apply as they are the individuals best fitted for the work. There is a head of the community that encourages freelancers to apply for jobs, complete their profiles, show off their work, as well as finding out who they are so they can find the best job for them. Key Points from the Episode: What goLance is and how it’s unique Competitor downfalls and goLance’s strengths How goLance operates The goLance origin story About Michael Brooks: Michael Brooks is a strong believer in harmony, teamwork, loyalty, and partnership. He has spent years building businesses with remote freelance talent and implementing strategic solutions through digital marketing and electronic payments. As founder of the award-winning online freelance marketplace goLance, Michael made it his mission to help others by finding new business solutions through digital marketing and electronic payments. Michael has published two books focused on digital marketing strategy for eCommerce businesses and one book on remote businesses. His perspective is that success doesn’t happen without risk – but with the right approach (and some luck), it’s possible to minimize the risks while maximizing your chances for success. Tweetable Moments: 06:17 "You're an entrepreneur. You don't want to be owned, right? You want freedom, and that's why you chose the life you have." 07:56 "If you are not constantly providing value, enough value to where people want to use your service, then you're doomed." Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out the goLance website at https://golance.com/ Check out goLance on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/golance/ Check out Michael Brooks on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelabrooks/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder and CEO of Carter & Custer, Jim Carter III.Carter & Custer helps entrepreneurs thrive to make a bigger impact in the world. Jim has had a large interest in technology all of his life and his partner works more with the consumer package goods and marketing side of the business world. They help entrepreneurs by using ethical-based marketing and they love to support nonprofit organizations. Carter & Custer works in primarily two ways, the first being through their mastermind program, Fast Foundations. Through this, they bring entrepreneurs together into a community and offer in-person events as well as coaching to help them get from a starting point to building a stable foundation for their business. The second way Carter & Custer works is by providing repeatable flat-rate services for entrepreneurs in the areas they need such as email management or search engine optimization. They can also make content out of podcasts to push out to the client’s audience as well as help manage content for social media platforms.Jim explains that using platforms such as Facebook or Linkedin to communicate or engage with an audience comes with a price as an individual is using someone else’s platform with different rules. However, when an individual has ownership of their own audience through platforms like Circle or Mighty Networks, it allows for personal rules to be made and the elimination of threats from the algorithm. Jim explains that search engine optimization is a long process and a content footprint needs to be planted now so that channel of opportunity can be realized. The midrange form of marketing is email marketing which an individual can slowly grow through their list and gain the trust of the people on their list. Once their trust and support has be gained, the business can start to push its offers toward them through the email list. The short form of marketing is using platforms such as Tiktok, Instagram reels, or Youtube shorts. This can get information out in an easily digestible way for an audience and promote growing a businesses reach or audience.Key Points from the Episode:The work Jim does with Carter & CusterHow Carter & Custer worksCommunityDifferences in marketing stylesAbout Jim Carter III:Jim Carter II is the Founder and CEO of Carter & Custer, a digital marketing agency that specializes in amplifying the online influence of nonprofits and change-makers so they can have a greater impact on the world. The agency has helped build multiple $1M social impact companies, and together with one of its clients, Pencils of Promise has raised over $300,000 to educate children in need around the globe. Jim believes that if you let your desire for social change align with your professional talents, you can make an incredible impact on the world. This belief led him to use his over two decades of tech experience to raise over $20M for different charities in the last eight years.Tweetable Moments:06:58 - "When you're playing in somebody else's field, you are susceptible to their roles."07:46 - "When you have those phone numbers, there's called data portability. It gives you the ability to have that information and make it portable."10:50 - "You have to ask yourself what game do you wanna play and where are your customers that you want to talk to? And if you believe more of them are searching the web for it, well then you should really start getting content out into the world."Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Carter & Custer website at https://carterandcuster.com/Check out Carter & Custer on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/carter-custer/Check out  Jim Carter III on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/causehacker/Check out Jim Carter III on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/causehacker/?hl=enCheck out Jim Carter III on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/causehacker/Check out Jim Carter III on Twitter at https://twitter.com/causehackerDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here. 

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Crisis Culture and Performance Specialist and the Director and Founder of Waterhole Leadership Program, Mark Ashby.A Crisis Culture and Performance Specialist is in the corporate sphere that works with an individual concerning their business to change their mindset whether it is regarding personal, staffing, or cultural business issues. Crisis Culture and Performance Specialists are needed today because it is better for businesses to be working preemptively rather than reactively. Mark has worked with media networks in Australia, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia,  and the United States Military. Mark explains that he will get into the nuts and bolts of a business when he is advising them. This can help him determine if it is a communication issue, an issue with the executives, or a culture problem. Mark explains that he takes the emotions out of decisions and advises his clients to do so to make the most rational decision.If a toxic environment is allowed to fester within a business, it will run out of control very quickly. Mark explains that bigger businesses with toxic leadership can almost absorb the blows from high turnover rates because they are such big companies. At times the higher executives are not connected to the lower end of the business, which is why this toxicity may not be addressed. Mark explains with one on one mentoring he will go in and listen first to get the full story of what is going on to then be able to fix the issues the individual is having.Key Points from the Episode:What a Crisis Culture and Performance Specialist doesWhy Crisis Culture and Performance Specialists are needed todayMark’s ClienteleHow Mark approaches business issuesToxic LeadershipHow Mark makes change happenAbout Mark Ashby:Mark Ashby is a highly-regarded specialist who assists multinational companies and their leaders in crisis awareness, cultural change & high-performance leadership. He has displayed an extraordinary ability to perform optimally under stressful scenarios through extensive experiences as a member of the Elite Paratroopers and other Specialist roles in the Australian Army, with Operational tours of East Timor.Mark was deployed to Iraq as a team leader in the highly-dangerous private security sector for eleven years before returning to Australia to work as a senior risk consultant in the corporate world for six years.Mark relied on rigorous training and discipline to carry out forty-one operational rotations, consisting of one thousand six hundred missions successfully completed during his time as a Close Protection Team Leader. Mark’s duties often took him to high-threat, hostile situations where he faced immense pressure to perform tasks in both covert and overt capacities with great emotional control, discipline, and accuracy.Having been attached to the U.S. military, and the U.S. State Department and embedded with the Green Berets, Mark’s adaptability to extreme situations of crisis and armed conflict allowed him to oversee operations of the highest global, financial and geopolitical importance such as the first two independent elections in Iraq.Mark also spent four years ensuring the safety and security of Australian Diplomats and Politicians as a close protection team leader at the Australian Embassy in Baghdad.Since returning to the corporate sector & setting up my own consulting firm in Australia, I’ve been using my experience to assist senior members of multinational companies in leadership, crisis awareness, and cultural change so they can become more resilient and adaptable. I recently completed my Master’s Degree with Distinction from Macquarie University in Sydney.Tweetable Moments: 06:30 - "When people love working for you, it increases productivity and it increases morale. People love going to work on Monday mornings as opposed to going there on Monday mornings and they can't wait for Friday."09:49 - "Sometimes, you can have a great organization at the top, but below it is just running rampant."12:00 - "Human beings are habitual creatures by nature. We don't like change, so that's a big one."Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Mark Ashby consulting website at https://markashbyconsulting.com/Check out Mark Ashby on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/markashbyconsultingDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder and CEO of Knit, Aneesh Dhawan.Knit is a Gen Z insights platform that helps brands tap into the audience of Gen Z to develop feedback on their products. Companies use their platform by uploading questions and within a few hours, Gen Z consumers will answer them. Brands can target specific audiences down to a city level or demographic. The technology of Knit allows for the answers to be compiled and analyzed for easy access for the company to then use to revise its marketing strategies. Aneesh and his co-founder found through their past work experience, that the way marketers are talking towards Gen Z is not working. They came up with the idea to get marketers involved with their younger consumer base at the speed of the internet. Knit obtained a majority of their panelists of Gen Z by going out and recruiting themselves. They also have third-party partnerships that help them amplify their reach. Aneesh explains that they work primarily with consumer brands on concept testing their marketing and understanding Gen Z.Key Points from the Episode:What Knit doesEngagement between Knit and its partnersHow Knit came aboutRecruitment of Gen ZUse casesAbout Aneesh Dhawan:Aneesh Dhawan is the CEO and co-founder of Knit, the Gen Z insights platform. Aneesh launched his first company, a Gen Z agency called Feed A Friend, at the age of 16. A few years later, he started Knit the platform helping brands like JBL, the WNBA, and NASCAR understand the next generation of consumers. Aneesh is an avid traveler, triathlete, and loves golden doodles.Aneesh was born a problem solver. In 9th grade, he worked with an NGO and a team at MIT to install a desalination device in a village in Haiti. In 10th grade, he launched his first company - Feed A Friend, a cause marketing agency. In 11th grade, he spearheaded a project bringing solar-powered lights to the local school and 100+ residents of a rural Haitian village. By the time Aneesh was a senior in high school, he had founded and launched PurPics, which later became Knit.When not working for the company, Aneesh is an avid traveler and endurance sports competitor. He has traveled to 20+ countries, is an Ironman 70.3 finisher, and loves to swim and wrestle. His personal dream is to travel and compete in an IronMan on every continent, but his larger passions include solving the world's most challenging problems through technology and partnerships.Tweetable Moments:04:16 - "The way people are talking to their customers today just doesn't work."04:26 - "When it comes to this next generation, our behaviors, our attitudes, our preferences are literally changing at the speed of the internet."06:38 - "The other big use case is if you're a consumer brand and you just need to understand how is Gen Z shopping, how are they making different decisions?"Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Knit website at https://goknit.com/Check out Knit on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/goknit/Check out Aneesh Dhawan on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/aneesh-dhawan-140212141Check out Aneesh Dhawan on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aneeshdaone?lang=enDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder and CEO of Infinite SOULutions, Carrie Schmidt.Carrie helps individuals connect to their power, passion, and purpose and help them stop focusing so much on others' expectations by putting that focus on where they want to go. Carrie is a life and business success coach to aid clients in improving their personal lives alongside aiding companies to improve their operations. There are many individuals whose purpose for having a successful business is based on the common dream of retiring early without any worries. However, this dream could get old in reality and it may take a wake-up call for an individual to reevaluate. Carrie explains that death, disease, and divorce are the main avenues that cause individuals to step back and evaluate their life or where they want to go from there. The times are changing and entrepreneurs should embrace these changes to influence the future of their businesses. Society is becoming more about making a true impact rather than being influenced primarily by money.Carrie explains that employers should connect with their employees and understand their purpose alongside determining their strengths and weaknesses. This can help the employers help their staff realize their strengths build the strengths of the entire organization as well as aid the employees in their weaknesses to grow. Through this, trust, comradery, and effective communication are created which also helps strengthen and grow the business or team. Lean organizations are built from the bottom up and the changes come from the employees who feel valued. Carrie explains that lean organizations are focused heavily on fixing problems rather than putting them aside. Throughout life, individuals are conditioned to believe specific things and process those ideas a certain way. Carrie explains that becoming aware of one's perspective and the programming that lead to that can allow an individual to change their thought processes to allow for improvement in the individual's personal life and career.Key Points from the Episode:The impact Carrie has in the worldManaging expectations and goalsThe shift from money to purposeConnecting someone with their passionLean organizationPrinciples within Carrie’s book Behind the ScreenAbout Carrie Schmidt: As the Founder and CEO of Infinite SOULutions, LLC, Carrie Schmidt puts the SOUL in SOULutions by transforming lives personally and professionally. She is a dynamic, influential Thought Leader and Motivational Speaker who has the ability to instantly captivate your mind, heart and awaken your soul by empowering you to gain clarity of your purpose in life, overcome limiting beliefs, and have the confidence to step outside your comfort zone. She customizes her approach to each client's needs and teaches the tools required to actually transform their personal or professional goals into reality.Carrie teaches a structured system of transformation that helped her transform her own life and now has a significant impact on others’ lives. Having done all of this herself, as a single mom at age 25 on welfare and barely making it by, Carrie vowed to provide the best life for her son. She entered corporate America working in an entry-level position in Customer Service and swiftly climbed the ladder in management by showcasing her talents for problem-solving, team building, and conscious leadership. After 10 years of dedicated hard work, Carries assumed full P&L responsibility for a $100 million unionized manufacturing facility as a General Manager. Within 3 months of being promoted to this position, a woman in a mostly male-dominated industry, she led the team to record-breaking improvements.After achieving everything she ever worked for, Carrie still felt a longing for something greater. She embarked on a spiritual journey of personal discovery and development that led her to research the fundamentals of psychology, neuroscience, and quantum physics. She ventured to Los Angeles and studied under Mary Morrissey and the Life Mastery Institute to become a Certified Life Mastery Consultant. It became her passion to help raise human consciousness and teach what she learned as an adult to teens and young adults who need to understand the power of the mind.Now, considered a Transformational Life & Business Success Coach, Carrie offers life coaching programs, and business consulting services and is releasing her first book, Behind the Screen, which teaches the 7-Step Life Timeline System of Transformation. Her vision is to reach, teach, and transform over 1 million lives globally by helping raise human consciousness.Tweetable Moments:4:04 It takes most people a wake-up call to step back and take an honest assessment of their life, career, and business and say, "is this really what I want?"06:48 "Things are changing before our eyes, and the future will look drastically different than it looks today."Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Infinite SOULutions website at https://www.carrie-schmidt.com/Check out Infinite SOULutions on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/infinite-soulutions-llc/Check out Carrie Schmidt on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrieleighschmidt82/Check out Carrie Schmidt’s book Behind the Screen: Uncover the Truth: Connect to your Power, Passion, and Purpose! At https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Screen-Uncover-Connect-Passion/dp/B09ZCJNFK3Check out Carrie Schmidt on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/coachcarrieschmidtCheck out Carrie Schmidt on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/carebearschmidtCheck out Infinite SOULutions on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SOULutions4allDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder, CEO, and General Counselor of Judy Weber Co, Judy Weber.Judy’s work is faith-based working with women within her same faith to achieve business goals and make the work of having a business easier while being more profitable. Judy grew up poor and has had a difficult life throughout the years. She was able to overcome the challenges and make her dreams a reality. Judy explains that she maintains a positive attitude when handling difficult situations or trauma so she can grow and not be stuck. Being stuck in a negative headspace can be a cause for missed opportunities and taking steps back. Judy advises that individuals should look at others with open eyes as well as understand everyone has trauma and support or accept them regardless. Faith in yourself is important as it relates to everyone an individual does and being in tune with that can allow for deeper introspection and growth.Judy explains that scaling involves three simple steps under the acronym joy. J is for a jump start, which involves looking at the strategy of a business to simplify it to a more efficient strategy. O is for optimization, which involves looking into their business team to ensure everyone is doing what is needed as well as looking into business processes and automation. Y is for yield, which involves monitoring results from revenue to client results and testimonials. Many individuals worry about hiring another team member because they cannot afford it. Judy explains that it can be more beneficial to hire someone to work on specific tasks than a business owner doing it themselves. This is because more time will be freed up for the business owner, meaning more time to make connections and establish relationships, which in the end turns into more revenue that can pay for the work of that person with more to spare. Judy offers a program called Joyful Scaling Mastermind that will become a six-month program in 2023. This program includes weekly group coaching and monthly one-on-one coaching with Judy.  In the Fall, Judy will be unveiling a new program called Joyful Six Figures Accelerator which provides lifetime access to a group program that contains on-demand trainings and weekly group trainings.Key Points from the Episode:What Judy does and how she got thereHow Judy overcomes and adapts to challenges. Faith in oneselfScaling Hiring challengesEngagement with JudyAbout Judy Weber:Judy Weber, Esq. is setting the gold standard in business coaching for faith-based women. A Women’s Business Strategist & Scaling Expert, and the Founder & Host of the globally-ranked ‘Joyful Scaling’ Podcast, Judy is on a mission to normalize mega success (both impact + revenue) for high-achieving, successful faith-based female CEOs, helping them build & scale their business with simplicity, using her proven Joyful Scaling Method.™ A former corporate & trial attorney as well as C suite executive (General Counsel & HR Director), Judy is a genius at showing faithful women how to fully embrace their faith so they can step confidently into their CEO role and think strategically, act courageously & speak authoritatively. Judy helps her clients create sophisticatedly simple - yet highly profitable - businesses, while pursuing deeper faith. She is a sought-after Keynote Speaker, teaching and inspiring women across the U.S. & around the world.Tweetable Moments:7:01 "Look at your faith foundation and, generally, as a person and an entrepreneur. And that will inform how you show up, what you do when you show up, and all of that."7:51 "I believe scaling is three simple steps, and it's the acronym JOY. It's jump-start, optimize and yield."Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluene.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Judy Weber Co website at https://judyweber.co/Check out Judy Weber’s podcast Joyful Scaling at https://www.judyweber.co/podcastCheck out Judy Weber Co on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/judy-weber-co/Check out Judy Weber on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/judyweberco/Check out Judy Weber on Facebook at https://facebook.com/judywebercoCheck out Judy Weber on Instagram at https://instagram.com/judywebercoDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with professional speaker and social media strategist, Ashley Ann.Ashley helps clients get paid for the work that they enjoy doing. She works with individuals or companies and has helped over 700 people make six-figure incomes with their social media accounts. Ashley’s strategies include building an audience and establishing reach organically as well as finding a balance between human interaction and automation. This is done to maintain a business and set up a system to create longevity. Ashley explains that there are only 1-3 categories of people that will understand a business or individual's message and product. These groups of people need to be focused on creating reach by identifying what they think they need, and what they actually need.Schedules for business owners tend to be quite busy and it can be hard to find the time to make a presence on social media. Ashley advises that everyone use a text community or text list because emails tend to get ignored for promotions. People are more likely to check a text message rather than an email. This connection allows for the reach to grow as an individual can promote more productively with better outcomes from the audience. Hiring an engagement team is a good way to gain media attention on an individual's behalf. It takes time for a team to learn the voice they are trying to portray. Ashley finds it beneficial to have meetings with her engagement team to modify or give points to more accurately imitate her response. Ashley advises to not always use advertisements to sell but to use them to also inform an audience. Segmentation is a way to group individuals into categories based on their needs to give them only the information they desire. Ashley utilizes this to set up a schedule of when to contact each person based on what segment they are in.Key Points from the Episode:Ashley’s impact in the worldAshley’s strategiesAshley’s advice on establishing reachFinding the time for social mediaHow to balance maintaining reach while not being a nuisanceAbout Ashley Ann:Ashley Ann also known as King Ashley Ann’s is a talented biz builder, public speaker, social media strategist, and award-winning wedding and event designer. Ashley currently travels the United States speaking to small business owners, side hustlers, wedding and event industry professionals, and those who are thinking of starting a business. Ashley is equipped with a B.A. in Finance and M.B.A. from the University of Central Arkansas. Ashley is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and an avid volunteer. She serves as a teen mentor, direct service volunteer, and domestic violence survivor. Ashley also instructs community financial literacy courses. Ashley Ann has helped over 11,000 individuals monetize their social media and over 700 people create 6 figure incomes. She has currently helped 150 people create 7-figure incomes and 9 of her clients are consistently doing million-dollar months. She has also helped over 1000 businesses generate $25K- $45K per month using Facebook and Live Stream. Ashley Ann gives free business tips and strategy classes on her Livestream Monday through Thursday. Ashley’s is based in Little Rock, AR. Ashley is known for her creative and unusual event ideas in the event world. In the business world Ashley is known for getting results, and simplifying social media, lead magnets, funnels, and CVO so that her clients achieve desired outcomes. She pays exquisite attention to every last detail in the boardroom and in the ballroom. Ashley Ann is a Google Partner, and has been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Life, CNN Money, Kontrol, MSN, Breitbart, NewBreak, Business Insider, Newsweek, CNBC, Sheen, Morning Mix Up, Doz, Rolling Out Magazine, Fox News, KATV, WoW City, STAND’s 30 Under 30, and several other media outlets and publications.Tweetable Moments:2:35 "There are only one to three categories of people that are going to care about what you're saying."6:14 "We have to have some way to communicate with people outside of social media."Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluene.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out Ashley Ann’s websites at https://kingashleyann.biz/ and https://www.ashleyannspeaks.com/.Check out Ashley Ann on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingashleyann/Check out Ashley Ann on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KingAshleyAnn Check out Ashley Ann on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kingashleyannCheck out Ashley Ann on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kingashleyann/Check out Ashley’s Free Everwebinar at https://ashleyannspeaks.samcart.com/referral/xeZW4SO8/Mv0vr7f49Q991vawDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Honorary Chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners, Hermann Simon.While Hermann was growing up, his father did not have an influence on the pricing of his goods. This is why he got into working with pricing and allowed him to create Simon-Kucher & Partners which now employs over 1,800 people globally as well as maintaining a revenue of 522 million dollars in the year 2021. Simon-Kucher & Partners is focused on pricing, gross, and profit consulting for their clients. A major point about pricing that Hermann explains to clients is the pricing value to the customer. Value and pricing are separate ideas that need to be balanced for the best outcome for the company as a whole. Another point Hermann makes is for businesses to avoid Marxist pricing. When businesses give a guarantee for their product or service it makes consumers more apt to pay higher prices as the guarantee increases the value the consumer places on it.Hermann explains that profit is the cost of survival and it is a moral responsibility for the entrepreneur to make a profit otherwise the business may suffer as well as do damage to everyone involved. There are multiple costs that go into a business such as paying employees, satisfying vendors, interest, and taxes to name a few. Hermann explains that earning before interest or taxes is not true profit, he considers true profit to be net profit. There have been many fundamental ideas that Simon-Kucher & Partners has believed in but have not been able to implement until recently due to technological incapabilities. Globalization has been a fundamental idea that has grown for Simon-Kucher & Partners due to the increase in international trade. Simon-Kucher & Partners works within all industries, especially in Silicon Valley, as well as banks and telecommunication companies. Dynamic pricing refers to the value of pricing mixed with the basis of supply and demand. Hermann explains that dynamic pricing is influenced by technology and adjusts supply and demand better than a rigid system. Hermann advises, based on his book Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and Transformation, there are three pillars to the success of a business owner. The first pillar is the ambition to be the best in their market, the second pillar is utilizing focus, and the third pillar is to broadening their market through globalization.Key Points from the Episode:The impact Hermann has in the worldKey points clients are likely to hearWhy guarantees allow for the basis of pricing to changeImportance of true profitThe changes to Simon-Kucher & Partners over the last four decadesTypical clients of Simon-Kucher & PartnersDynamic PricingHermann’s insights from his book Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and TransformationAbout Hermann Simon:Hermann Simon, PhD., is a world-renowned management thinker, consultant, pricing expert, entrepreneur, and leading authority on the “hidden champions” business model. He is the founder and honorary chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners, the world’s leading price consultancy with over 1,700 employees and 42 offices worldwide. Simon is the author of 40 books in 30 different languages, including the worldwide bestseller Hidden Champions, first published by Harvard Business School in 1996.Simon-Kucher & Partners is the global thought and market leader in price consulting, and Hermann is recognized as the worldwide pricing guru. His books Confessions of the Pricing Man: How Price Affects Everything and Price Management: Strategy, Analysis, Decision, Implementation are standard works in the price management industry. In a time of rising inflation, Simon is an invaluable resource for companies, especially in the United States where pricing is a generally neglected topic.Simon continues to bring value to the marketing world through his writing, recently publishing True Profit!: No Company Ever Went Broke Turning a Profit (Springer, July 2021). In True Profit! Simon brings clarity to the jungle of profits and balance sheets, shedding light on the performance of numerous companies and industries in an international comparison. He discusses the dilemma of why more than 80% of companies in the U.S. that have gone public have never turned a profit, and questions allegations of corporate greed – arguing that profit-making is ethical if achieved decently.Simon’s upcoming book, Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and Transformation (Springer, April 2022), is an in-depth exploration of the ever-changing operating conditions, as well as the more significant uncertainty and volatility, that will define global business over the next 10 years—with a particular focus on China’s impact. Whether a company is a “Hidden Champion” or aspires to be one, this newest release from Simon provides essential food for thought as executives and managers chart their course into the future.In 1995, Simon made the life-changing decision to leave his professorship behind. He put his Hidden Champions blueprint into practice as an entrepreneur, founding his consulting firm, Simon-Kucher & Partners, with Dr. Eckhard Kucher, his first doctoral student. Simon-Kucher & Partners is now the global market leader in price consulting, growing considerably faster than the rest of the consulting market, with  $522 million in revenue in 2021, 18% average annual growth, and a clear focus on top-line growth.Tweetable Moments:7:58 "It is a moral responsibility for the entrepreneur to make a profit."13:52 "Dynamic pricing is driven by technology and adjusts supply and demand much better than in a rigid system where you do not have price differences over time."Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluene.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Simon-Kucher & Partners website at https://www.simon-kucher.com/enCheck out Simon-Kucher & Partners on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/simon-kucher-&-partners/Check out Hermann Simon’s website at https://hermannsimon.com/Check out Hermann Simon on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhermann/Check out Hermann Simon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hermannsimonCheck out Hermann Simon’s book Confessions of the Pricing Man: How Price Affects Everything at https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Pricing-Man-Affects-Everything/dp/B08TZPRKVY/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1663777845&refinements=p_27%3AHermann+Simon&s=books&sr=1-2Check out Hermann Simon’s book True Profit!: No Company Ever Went Broke Turning a Profit at https://www.amazon.com/True-Profit-Company-Broke-Turning/dp/3030767019Check out Hermann Simon’s book Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and Transformation at https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Champions-Chinese-Century-Transformation/dp/303092596XDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.